Brands like cattle
Melina quickly ushers Yelena and Natasha into Natasha’s room. Yelena’s confused and upset while Natasha didn’t want to leave.
Robin’s frozen in pain, trying to steady her breathing. Blood drips between her lips and onto her shirt and the carpet.
The false sense of security Robin had let herself be lulled into had been shattered. Robin doesn’t move until Melina returns, crouching in front of her and gingerly cupping Robin’s face.
Robin winces, even the feathery light touch seemed to send a jolt of pain through her jaw. Melina quickly pulls her hands away. “Can you stand?” Melina asked softly. “I can’t… I can’t carry you.”
Robin slowly shakes her head before letting out a sharp breath. “I’m sorry…”
Melina slowly moves to kneel next to Robin and barely has a hand set onto Robin’s shoulder before the tall woman collapses against her.
“I’m sorry,” Robin repeats, squeezing her eyes shut as tears roll down her cheeks, blood dripping off her chin. “I’m sorry.”
“Shh,” Melina gently brushed her fingers over Robin’s sore scalp, clearly afraid of hurting her more. “You don’t need to be sorry, you did nothing wrong.”
Robin focuses on her breathing before reaching a shaking hand up to cup the back of Melina’s neck and gently pulled her wife down to press their foreheads together. “I love you.” She breathes out softly. She needs Melina to know that the General spoke lies. She loved Melina so much.
Melina gives Robin a small smile that’s shaky on her face. “I love you too…” She gently brushed her fingers through Robin’s hair. “How… how can I help you?”
“Get me to my office and I can do the rest,” Robin said quietly but Melina shakes her head.
“I want to help. Please, let me take care of you,” Melina’s voice is soft as she pressed a kiss to Robin’s forehead. “You’ve looked after me. Let me return the favor.”
Robin takes a deep breath before nodding. “Okay. To the bathroom then.”
Melina helps Robin up. The taller woman leans heavily on Melina, trying to balance on shaking legs. Her back burns and her mouth throbs.
It takes a while but they finally reach the bathroom. “Call Rosalie over.” Robin tells Melina.
Melina paused, having just settled Robin on the closed toilet seat. “What? Why?”
“To look after the kids. Tell her to bring Maggie. She knows about the Red Room. She’ll ensure that they’re okay while you help me,” Robin explains, wincing as she shifts. “Please?”
Melina lets out a slow nod and steps away to call Rosalie. Robin reaches up and starts to try and unbutton her shirt. She runs her hand over her lower back, trying to feel what the General cut into her back.
She can feel letters of some sort and her fingers brush along the damaged skin.
D… R… E…
That motherfucker.
Y… K…
Vain piece of shit.
O… V…
He carved his name into her back.
“What are you doing?” Melina demands and Robin’s head jerks up to peer up at the woman in the doorway. She had been so focused on feeling the letters that she didn’t realize she was just smearing blood around. “Don’t touch it.”
Robin pulls her hand away, peering down at the blood coating her fingers. The sound of running water breaks her out of her thoughts. She looks up at Melina who had started the shower.
Melina helps Robin out of the rest of her clothes and then strips herself before guiding them both into the shower.
Robin bites back a cry of pain when the water hits her skin, the water at their feet immediately turning red. She leans against Melina, trying to stay upright. “Melina--” She gasps out.
“I know. I know,” Melina murmurs, holding Robin close and keeping her steady. “I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.”
Robin squeezed her eyes shut and let someone else take care of her. Melina’s touch is gentle but each brush against her back feels like sharp thorns raking against her skin.
She doesn’t know how long they’re in the shower for but eventually, the water runs cold and clear so they get out.
Robin gets a brief glimpse of her back in the mirror. The letters in her lower back weren’t as big as she thought. Only about four inches wide and an inch tall. There was vivid red-purple bruising splashed all across her back, thick scarlet stripes from the bamboo stick. While Melina is getting clothes, Robin hobbles to the sink and leans on the counter, opening her mouth to peer at the empty socket where the General had hit her so hard that her tooth came out. It was luckily one of her back molars and she knew a guy that owed her a favor who could fix it.
Melina returns dressed with a soft shirt and a pair of boxers for Robin. She helps Robin into the boxers before glancing at her back. “I need to patch up the… uh…” She looks like she doesn’t know what to call the mark on her back.
“It’s a brand. He branded me as his,” Robin finishes for her. “The supplies for it are in my office. I don’t think it’s deep enough to need stitches.”
Seeing Melina’s eyes glued to her back, Robin reached out her hand. “Come here.” She coaxed Melina toward her. “Come here, sweet girl.”
Melina crosses the room and stops in front of Robin. Robin carefully reached her hands up to cup Melina’s face, stroking her cheeks before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “There’s my sweet girl.”
Melina seems to sink into Robin’s contact at the words. “I’m sorry.”
“You protected our girls,” Robin gently nuzzled her nose against Melina’s, stroking the fine hairs at the nape of her neck. “You did the right thing.”
“I stood by as he cut into you. A Widow protects their handler with their lives,” Melina recites obediently.
“And a mother protects her children with hers,” Robin counters, pulling Melina’s head down to press a kiss to her forehead before pulling away. “Go check in on them and then grab some bandages and cream from my office.”
Melina reluctantly pulls away, leaving the bathroom. Robin glances at herself in the mirror again before reaching up to feel the gap in her teeth with her finger. She still looked the same when she smiled but there was swelling already happening in her jaw.
She wouldn’t be able to show her face around town for the next week and the General knew that. He knew it.
Why would he assign her this role if he kept pulling her away to deal with other matters? She just saved his daughter and he thanked her by carving his name into her back and beating her bloody in front of her family.
Melina returns with the items and sets upon gently applying the cream to Robin’s back before applying the bandages. She had brought with her the bottle of antibiotics from Miguel as well as some of the painkillers from Robin’s stash.
“Do you regret giving Natasha that promise?” Melina spoke up quietly and Robin glances at her in surprise at the question.
“No.” Robin doesn’t hesitate to answer, letting Melina guide her arms through a fresh shirt.
“It won’t come true,” Melina said quietly and Robin sighs.
“You don’t know that,” Robin argues and Melina glances up at Robin.
“You have a plan?” Melina raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to take us back to the Red Room and then back out again? Seems easier to never go back in the first place.”
“Shh,” While Robin trusts Rosalie not to snitch on them to the General, she doesn’t exactly want anyone to hear their talks of possible running. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I am going to worry,” Melina snaps slightly at Robin. “Because he’s going to kill you as soon as you outlive your usefulness!”
Robin takes a deep breath, twisting to face Melina and reaching up to cup her face. “I know.” She said quietly. “I’ve been expecting it for a long time.” She always knew death was an option for her and she used to think that it may have been easier than working for him. Now though, death scared her. If she died then her family had no one to protect them.
“You know?!” Melina demands and opens her mouth to continue when the doorknob to the bathroom twists open.
“Mama!” Yelena darts into the bathroom and winds her arms around Robin’s legs.
“Hi, little one,” Robin sets a hand on top of Yelena’s head.
“Sorry,” Rosalie appears in the doorway. “She was insistent.”
“It’s fine,” Robin can feel Rosalie’s gaze on her bruised face before it shifts to the bloodied clothes stuffed in the hamper. “Thank you.”
“Mama, the scary man was here,” Yelena whispers into Robin’s legs. Robin wants nothing more than to scoop her up to comfort her but she can’t.
Melina does instead, stepping forward to pick Yelena up and gets close enough to Robin so that Yelena can wrap her arms around Robin’s neck without Robin having to support her weight.
“Where’s Natasha?” Robin asked, cupping the back of Yelena’s head to press a kiss to her forehead.
“Curled in a corner of her room. Won’t speak,” Rosalie replies, watching as Robin comforts Yelena. “Maggie’s with her.”
“You want to get her?” Robin asked Melina, watching as Melina hesitates. “She needs you. I can’t…” She can’t pick up her kids and hold them close.
Melina nods her head. “Come on out to the bed.”
Melian settled Yelena down on the bed before helping Robin take a seat. Yelena crawls into Robin’s lap and leans on her. Melina goes to stop Yelena but Robin shakes her head, wrapping her arms around her littlest one quietly.
Melina disappears to Natasha’s room and Rosalie is left standing at the foot of the bed.
“So captain,” Rosalie shrugs, shoving her hands into her pockets. “Need me around for anything else?”
Robin glances down at the girl in her lap before peering back up at Rosalie. “Yeah… can you go out and buy a birthday cake?”
Because Yelena’s still turning four and while the General hadn’t destroyed the items in the kitchen, she didn’t trust him to not tamper with them either.
“What do I get in return?” Rosalie gives her a grin and Robin raised an eyebrow.
“How about a slice of cake?” Robin replies, wincing slightly when Yelena’s elbow bumps into her stomach.
Rosalie senses Robin’s not in the mood to banter so she gives a lazy salute. “Aye, aye captain.” She turns and lets out a whistle to call Maggie toward her. “Be back soon, boss.”
Robin doesn’t bother correcting her. Rosalie’s kept all their secrets so far and is proving herself to be quite the worthy ally.
For a double agent, in which Robin’s still not quite sure which agency Rosalie’s most loyal to, Rosalie has had yet to sell Robin out or break a deal.
For now, Rosalie and Robin had a deal about keeping her family safe. That’s enough.